Can anyone recommend some plants for a Pennsylvania climate? I have a new IG pool (digging today!) and will be surrounding the pool with a 54" bronze powdercoat finish aluminum fence. Full sun. I would like something that will grow quickly for privacy, will look nice, and will also not make a mess.
Plants for landscaping around the pool
- Thread starter JohnT
- Start date
Holly bushes are good. There are some upright narrow varieties. You don't want too much of a screen close to the pool or you'll get shade in the evening. As soon as the shade hits the pool, it is noticeably cooler, even on a hot day.
How is your pool situated and how much privacy do you want?
How is your pool situated and how much privacy do you want?
The side that needs screening is facing east-northeast, so plants that block the sun won't be a big deal. I anticipate we'll get direct sun from 9AM until 5PM most of the summer (after that, the house casts a shadow).
Sky Pencil Holly is nice.
Planting them in a staggered pattern can give a surprising amount of privacy without looking like a wall.
Planting them in a staggered pattern can give a surprising amount of privacy without looking like a wall.
We have dozens of different plants\flowers around the pool... I will have to ask my wife what they are called. 
The only flowers that haven't held up are tulips.
The only flowers that haven't held up are tulips.
I have christmas palms around mine. Going to put some crotons this year. I plant annuals in pots and place around pool. Some are messy tho.
I am in zone 10.
I am in zone 10.
The pool has been in for a few weeks and we finally have a permanent fence (I never want to see one of those orange construction fences again). Now I need to figure out what to do for landscaping, grass, and getting some privacy from a neighbor that is very close to the side with the pump (and is also higher up, so have a greater need to get some good screening).
Can anyone provide some thoughts on good plants to put on the outside of the fence for screening? I want to make sure that they are low maintenance, provide hedge screening without looking like a hedge, and aren't messy with lots of stuff flying into the pool. We are in central Pennsylvania with full sun until 5PM when the house shadows the backyard. I am placing some pics below so you can see what I have to work with.
Can anyone provide some thoughts on good plants to put on the outside of the fence for screening? I want to make sure that they are low maintenance, provide hedge screening without looking like a hedge, and aren't messy with lots of stuff flying into the pool. We are in central Pennsylvania with full sun until 5PM when the house shadows the backyard. I am placing some pics below so you can see what I have to work with.
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I recently planted some Emerald Arborvitae as a screen across my front side yard (corner property). I planted them on 4' centers; they're about 5' tall now and will double that. I planted a line near the sidewalk and am having fence installed behind them. My pool is about 30' away from the trees/ shrubs. I put down mulch around them and Lirope (like an ornamental grass) along the sidewalk in front of them to choke out / disguise weeds. I also have some Forsythia there; not an evergreen, but they grow fast. If you have a lot of room, Hollywood Junipers and Leyland Cyprus are pretty fast-growing but the latter get pretty big.
I was at someone's house recently that had planted arborvitae on 3' centers; they look great in the early years but now that they're 8 years old, they're too close. Staggering would be nice if you have the room so that you get good coverage. They'll be happiest if you wait until mid-September or so to plant as it's cooler and wetter then. They're pretty hardy though, so ask your garden center (or Lowes) if now would be OK; if they'll guarantee them, it's worth a shot if you can water them a lot.
Along other fences, I have Crape Myrtles and Hibiscus (not the tropical kind). They're low-maintenance but flowering and have some stuff dropping from them, so I wouldn't want them too close to the pool. I also have roses, butterfly bushes, azaleas and rhododenden; only the roses need care. There's some new types like "knockout roses" that are supposed to be easier and yield lots of flowers. There's some boxwoods next to the pool (partly AG) and I plan to add a couple more as well as some hostas and more ornamental grasses.
Sue
I was at someone's house recently that had planted arborvitae on 3' centers; they look great in the early years but now that they're 8 years old, they're too close. Staggering would be nice if you have the room so that you get good coverage. They'll be happiest if you wait until mid-September or so to plant as it's cooler and wetter then. They're pretty hardy though, so ask your garden center (or Lowes) if now would be OK; if they'll guarantee them, it's worth a shot if you can water them a lot.
Along other fences, I have Crape Myrtles and Hibiscus (not the tropical kind). They're low-maintenance but flowering and have some stuff dropping from them, so I wouldn't want them too close to the pool. I also have roses, butterfly bushes, azaleas and rhododenden; only the roses need care. There's some new types like "knockout roses" that are supposed to be easier and yield lots of flowers. There's some boxwoods next to the pool (partly AG) and I plan to add a couple more as well as some hostas and more ornamental grasses.
Sue
Thanks Shorelover. Could you post some pictures? That would help a lot in my planning to see the actual appearances of what you described.
I'll post some pictures, but they're not great -- they make it look like I live in a jungle!
This picture shows a pink crape myrtle on the left, and some liriope in the lower center (in front of a small pond). Liriope is great almost anywhere; the myrtle comes in a variety of sizes but don't put it near a pool as it drops lots of stuff from the flowers.
These are the Arborvitae, they're about 5' tall right now and will at least double that. The picket fence will go a few feet behind them. I have liriope in front of them, but they're small so you can't see them really. There are hostas along the curb that the former owner put in.
This is looking the other way. It's hard to distinguish all the plants, there are roses, a giant rosemary plant, rhododendron, hydrangea, hibiscus and butterfly bushes. They're all great where they are and would be nice along your fence, but you don't want them near the pool where they can drop stuff in it.
Hope that helps! I've done a lot so far (in 6 months). I pulled out about 25 trees and transplanted a lot of bushes. I still have a lot more to do....
Sue
This picture shows a pink crape myrtle on the left, and some liriope in the lower center (in front of a small pond). Liriope is great almost anywhere; the myrtle comes in a variety of sizes but don't put it near a pool as it drops lots of stuff from the flowers.
These are the Arborvitae, they're about 5' tall right now and will at least double that. The picket fence will go a few feet behind them. I have liriope in front of them, but they're small so you can't see them really. There are hostas along the curb that the former owner put in.
This is looking the other way. It's hard to distinguish all the plants, there are roses, a giant rosemary plant, rhododendron, hydrangea, hibiscus and butterfly bushes. They're all great where they are and would be nice along your fence, but you don't want them near the pool where they can drop stuff in it.
Hope that helps! I've done a lot so far (in 6 months). I pulled out about 25 trees and transplanted a lot of bushes. I still have a lot more to do....
Sue
Our neighbor's house sits higher than ours and they look straight over our fence into the pool. I am wondering if anyone has suggestions about tress and/or plants that can thrive in pots, grow tall enough to screen, won't drop a bunch of stuff in the pool, and have a tropical feel if possible (not a deal breaker). Does anyone have an ideas for this? Thanks!
I Love daylilies! They are easy to grow, they multiply over time and come in many colors. The tall asiatic lilies are good too. (Can you tell the lily is my favorite flower?) :lol: Cannas are nice too, but you may have to dig them in the winter, depending on where you live.
We are in the process of do a landscaping in our pool too. Our landscaping guy recommends “Crape Myrtles ". I living in TX and he said is a fast growing plant. I told him about the problems of these plants; however he said that the trick is not to plant to close to the pool. He recommend to us about 12' feet from the pool.
Just say no. When the wind starts blowing, they could be 120' away and you'll still get all that frilly junk in your water. Been there, done that. Plus, they're really hard to kill when you decide you've had enough of them. I had to sell the house to get away from my giant crape myrtles.
Thank you JayBauman,
We have a meeting with him next week. We going this weekend to get more photos and info about plants here in TX, and the best for our pool landscaping. I will keep posting...
We have a meeting with him next week. We going this weekend to get more photos and info about plants here in TX, and the best for our pool landscaping. I will keep posting...